This patio gardening post is sponsored by Harvest Organics in an effort to reduce waste and replenish the earth by creating gardening products that are better for plants, pets, people, and the planet!

When we moved into a new apartment with a patio last summer, I was determined to be a plant lady. I bought a couple planters, a couple plants, and learned a couple dozen lessons along the way. Fast forward to today and I have a bustling patio garden filled with herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Listed below are my six biggest tips for starting and maintaining a patio garden of your own.

Shopping – Stick to the areas of the store that are most similar to where you’re going to be keeping your plants. Is your patio fairly shaded? Look for the section in the outdoor gardening department that has similar shade conditions. Does your patio get pounded with direct light? Look at the plants that the store keeps outside with no cover {typically by the entrance}.

2. Water – Watch your plants and understand the surface of your patio as well as the material of the planter. I couldn’t understand why my plant leaves looked so sad. After all, I was watering them per the instructions. What I failed to figure was that concrete reflects a lot of heat and clay planters leak a lot of water. If your plants look dry or wilted, listen to them and water more frequently.

3. Sun – Too much sun can be a bad thing {even for plants that require “full sun”}. If you’re watering your plants enough and they’re still getting crispy, get creative about ways to provide plants with relief. I keep my herbs behind a stone wall most of the time and let them hang out on the top of the wall on weekends when I can closely monitor. You can also place sensitive plants next to or behind a larger, leafier plant.

4. Soil – Use a good quality soil. You know that saying, “you are what you eat.”? Well that applies to plants, too {especially edible plants}! A good quality soil like Harvest Organics Potting Mix provides your plants with a ton of nutrients to keep your plants thriving, Harvest is also the largest processor of yard and food waste in North America, Harvest manages to keep nearly 2,000,000 tons of waste from ending up in landfills.

5. Food – It’s so rewarding to grow your own food, especially your own organic food. I suggest starting with herbs {like basil, mint, and cilantro} and tomatoes as they’re super easy to keep alive. This year, I’ve added four varieties of peppers, okra, and eggplant. Even if the food plants don’t take off, they’re still a beautiful addition to your patio. In addition to being rewarding, growing your own food cuts down on direct waste {plastic tags, ties, stickers, and bags} and indirect waste {fuel for transporting food to the grocery store and for transporting you to the grocery store}.

#TheHarvestEffect is the idea that the food that you throw away today could become the dirt that you produce tomorrow; or can help power your community and by fueling your family with an everlasting cycle of goodness and renewal.

6. Design – With plants, it’s true that more is more. Flowers and plants look so stunning in a cluster. But it’s easy to spend a fortune on planters. I highly recommend spending money on a couple planters that you love and supplementing with terracotta planters. The non-terracotta planters below range from $12 to $40, while the terracotta planters range from $2 to $4. Terracotta planters are also safer for growing food since they are made from natural materials.

This patio gardening post is sponsored by Harvest Organics in an effort to reduce waste and replenish the earth.

Hello and Welcome!

I'm Kristin - a Florida girl turned Austinite, adventuring my way through life. Whether I'm in the kitchen, around town, or 1000 miles away, I'm sure to put myself in the midst of merriment.... and then write about it! Read More…